Claymore kills LTTE's eastern political leader

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 June 2001, 21:21 GMT]The leader of the political wing of the Liberation Tigers for the Batticaloa and Ampara district was killed in a claymore mine blast Thursday around 11.30 a.m. at Vaathakkalmadu in Nallathanni Odai, about 36 kilometres south west of Batticaloa, Sri Lanka army sources in the eastern town said. They claimed that the Batticaloa-Ampara district's political wing leader, Nizaam, was killed when the claymore blast hit the motorbike on which he was riding with a colleague Thursday morning.

Nizaamís associate was severely wounded in the blast, according to relatives who saw him Friday. This is the third claymore blast targeting senior LTTE leaders inside the Batticaloa districtíswestern hinterland since January this year, SLA sources claimed.

Three claymore mines were set off inside the areas controlled by the Liberation Tigers last year as well, in Vellaveli and Palugamam and Karadiyan Aaru.

Paramilitary sources working with the army in the eastern town said two of the blasts last year were aimed at Ramanan, the head of the LTTEís military intelligence wing in the Batticaloa-Ampara districts.

Informed sources in the eastern town said that the SLAís deep penetration teams comprising Special Forces were largely responsible for the claymore blasts.